


Níl aon tinteán mar do thinteán féin (There is No Place Like Home) REWRITE

by BonnieLass



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Female Protagonist, Fist Fights, Interpol - Freeform, Irish Language, Psychologists & Psychiatrists, Slow Burn, Spies & Secret Agents, Undercover, mentions of psychological issues, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-27 15:09:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14428161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BonnieLass/pseuds/BonnieLass
Summary: Governor Denning had another surprise up his sleeve. It came in the form of a psychologist. One that challenges Steve McGarrett every chance she can get. But when is anything in Steve's life black and white. She has a secret, but how far is she willing to protect that secret.





	1. a cheistiú (To interrogate)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi again! So I deleted the previous version of this story. First few chapters will be similar, but have been reworked. I apologize for doing so, but I hope you like this new version as much as I do! Thanks! ^.^ Feel free to leave comments and as always hitting that kudo's button makes me write faster.

“Lieutenant Commander McGarrett?” A woman's voice echoed in the Palace's granite hallway. Steve turned towards her voice. Quickly taking in her appearance, he didn't perceive any threat. The brunette wore a classy, black pencil skirt. The faint pinstripe served to give the illusion of longer legs. As did the pair of heels she wore. With those heels she was almost eye level with him. Which was impressive. A jade colored silk shirt made the green in her eyes stand out. The shirt had no sleeves and he couldn't help but notice the muscle definition of her arms and legs. Everything about her; from her highlights to her red soles spoke of class. Her outfit was expertly tailored to her tastes. She was comfortable in her skin and clothes. Whatever she was, the woman wasn't acting a part.

“Yes, ma'am. How can I help you?” She smiled at him, stretching the cupid's bow of her lips. He let the door to Five-0's offices shut.

“Dr. Gwen Lynch.” Shaking her proffered hand, he was admittedly confused. “I'm here for my meeting with you and your team. At the behest of the governor...” Her alto voice trailed off. “He didn't tell you about me.” Pursing her lips, she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

“No. He didn't.” He was admittedly confused. Why would the governor want her to meet with them? Was it a case? “Do you have a case you need to talk to us about?”

“No, but you are my case.” At his apparent confusion she continued on, “Governor Denning has tasked me to asses Five-0's… uhm..” Her hand flitted about. She was searching for the right words, if her muttering was any indication. “… mental stability.”

“He thought what?” Steve's protective nature stirred. “Why can't that damned man leave my team alone. We're fine.” The psychiatrist muttered something impolite under her breath. “Like hell I'm going to allow this.”

“Listen to me very carefully, Lieutenant Commander Steven J. McGarrett. You have no options here other than to let me do my job. Five-0 will speak to me or I will exercise my authority and disband your special ops squad.” She leveled a glare in his direction. Steve wished that she was shorter than she was so he could at least attempt to intimidate her. But as it stood, she stood her ground. And he knew that even with a height advantage, he wouldn't be able to move her.

“I'll find a way.” He stepped forward anyway. She did the same. Her eyebrows raised.

“I'd love to see you try,” she challenged.

“Now I feel like I'm intruding.” Danny laughed. The pair took a step back out of each others space.

“Danny, meet Dr. Gwen Lynch. She'll be observing us for a few days.” His tight lipped introduction only fed her anger. Her own eyebrows furrowed, causing her gaze to narrow. Nostrils flared. “Making sure that we are mentally stable enough to do our jobs.” Danny ignored his partner's attitude and held out his hand. Her facial expressions smoothed out and as she turned her attention to the blonde.

“I'm just here as a favor to the governor. My boss at Walter Reed owed your new governor a favor.” She took his hand and gave him a professional smile.

“Walter Reed? The Army hospital.”

“Yes. Where I specialize in PTSD rehabilitation.” Her gaze slides over him and Steve can't help but let out a derisive snort. It was an obvious dig at him. Danny rolled his eyes.

“Forgive my partner. He has no manners,” Danny's teasing was not welcome this time. Their actions would be under a microscope. He couldn't deal with this and figure out a way to get Kono out of the mess he had created and figure out this Shelbourne thing. Never would he have thought his life in SEAL Team three was dull by comparison. He almost wished for the simplicity.

“You coming?” Holding open the door just to prove to Danny that he did indeed have manners. The good doctor brushed past him; Danny following her with a smirk just for Steve.

 

* * *

 

 

Steven McGarrett's name had sounded familiar when she first heard it from her boss's mouth. But it wasn't until the Annapolis graduation picture slid across the desk that she remembered. A fresh-faced plebe just this side of 18 walking the hallowed halls of Annapolis and listening to her fellow midshipman giggling about the boyish grin of his. He'd known he was attractive then and still knew he was now. But there was more to the commander than a pretty face. He lacked the typical alpha military man persona. Although, she would describe his personality as... barbed. For lack of a better term. He wasn't arrogant. His above-average success rates warranted his abundant self-confidence. He was driven and intelligent. Compassionate. Caring. Even if he did hide those “softer” attributes behind mental walls. And now it was her job to get behind those walls. She truly had her work cut out for her.

Gwen watched him and Danny argue in the bull pen from the office Steve had thrown her into. Which suited her just fine. She had needed through their firewalls to mine for information. While the large board in the pen was an inciting target, Gwen eyed McGarrett's office computer. It wouldn't be quite as protected. Slipping the small flash drive into the port, she pretended to look at the various commendations and accolades on the walls. Everything here was a clue into McGarrett's brain. Control issues. He was definitely proud of his work. But showing it off this way… It only served two purposes. To intimidate. And to comfort himself. Prove his worth. But to whom? She thought to herself as she made her way back to the computer. Looking up through the open blinds, she checked on the status of the argument. And shook her head, before pulling out the drive and clearing evidence that she had plugged it in at all. She caught Steve's eye and moved away from the computer, but not without trailing her fingers over the keyboard. Making little adjustments. Which all seemed to get under his skin. So she winked at him. He glowered, which caused Danny to look over at her too. Danny broke into a grin.

“What are you doing?”

“Just seeing if what I was analyzing was correct.” Cocking her head, she stared straight at Steve. Challenging. And true to form he didn't back down. Leaning back against the edge of his desk, she crossed her arms across her chest.

“So you're here to what… watch us?” Danny questioned, taking a defensive stance. His posture relaxed, but the tightness in his face and shoulders said differently. He was ready to jump into action if she even thought of stepping out of line. Danny Williams was the more in tune with his emotions of the pair. He was sturdy. Solid under pressure. He had to be in order to work with Five-O and Steven McGarrett. Also, he was apparently the voice of reason to his partner's more exuberant style.

“I'm here to study and evaluate. Once I conclude my investigation I will share my findings with you and the Governor,” looking down at her feet, she gathered her thoughts. “Due to the previous administrations illegal-” Steve made an angry noise. Danny elbowed him. “- actions, he is rightly worried that her influence affected your team.” Holding her hands up in front of her to try to ease Steve's defensiveness.

“Am I interrupting anything?” Chin Ho Kelly stepped up next to his teammates. Sand was still in his hair, he'd obviously just come from the beach. He was curious. And protective. These two men were ohana. And if the scuttlebutt was true, Chin Ho Kelly was incredibly loyal to ohana.

“This is our new shrink.” Steve grumbled.

“Steven, that is no way to speak to a guest,” Danny couldn't help put tease him. Gwen caught Chin rolling his eyes. The man gave off an older brother aura. A much annoyed one. She could relate. He watched over these two, both physically and mentally. Gwen would bet most of her life savings that he was the one to instigate beer night and any activities that didn't have to deal with work.

“Dr. Gwen Lynch. The Governor asked me to assess the team.” Leaning forward she took Chin's hand in a tight grip. He returned the handshake and grinned.

“Maybe the Governor should have sent a marriage counselor.” Chin's response made her laugh out loud. No where in the files had mentioned his wicked sense of humor. It earned the pair identical glares from the arguing partners.

"Chin Ho, you're up first," ignoring the glares, she handed Chin a plain business card. Then breezed out of McGarrett's office, brushing up against McGarrrett as she left.


	2. Is fada an sracadh an saol (Life is a continual battle)

Rain was pounding down on the steel sides of the cargo ship. High winds buffeted it as well. Making the metal shriek under the strain. Rough seas rocked it, making it difficult for Gwen to keep her precarious perch in upper steel supports of the lower deck. The noise managed to hide the sound of any of her movements. So it was a blessing in disguise. The first piece of good news she'd had since she and her training agent had taken on this case. She hadn't slept in two days, ever since the damned boat had left harbor. Nerves wouldn't let her rest. This was her last mission as a trainee. And when she proved herself, she'd be on her own. A fully fledged Intelligence officer. That she could. It was something she'd been dreaming about for most of her life. A chance. A chance to prove her worth. She sighed deeply, her right hand coming to play with the loose band of her watch.

The storm was a double-edged sword. Even though her targets couldn't hear her, she couldn't hear them. So when one of the armed guards walked the pathway, she nearly missed him. If not for the squawk of his radio. Easing through the supports, she moved to a spot above him.

“Boss just got a call. Said something about two stowaway agents aboard.” A deep voice spoke in rapid fire Cantonese. The Captain most likely. The static covering any identifying features. “Find them. And bring them to me.” An icy chill settled in her bones that had nothing to do with storm that raged outside.

“Shit,” The curse came out without much warning. Clamping a hand over her traitorous mouth, She waited to see if the guard heard her mistake. How had the group of smugglers found out about them? It didn't make any sense. Unless Zoe's CI tipped them off as well. But … that was highly unlikely. Zoe had known her CI for years. Her fear ratcheted up further, when she realized that Zoe wouldn't know anything about the turn of events. She was sitting with the girls in a container on the deck. So Gwen made a foolhardy decision and dropped down on top of the guard. Gravity doing the hard work for her. Stooping down to check for a pulse, she found none. Grabbing on the straps of his vest, she pulled him back into a dark corner. Her fingers brushed over the emergency transponder on her own tactical vest. It chirruped once; an acknowledgment. She scavenged his assault rifle and ran.

Once she came up to the stairwell that led outside. Someone had left the door open, allowing rainwater past the seals. Not a sailor. Probably one of the smugglers. A shadow moved past the cracked door. Gwen plastered her back against the steel wall. As soon as the shadow moved past, she attacked. Dispatching him with a quick snap of his neck as he faced away from her. She hid his body in another corner. This time grabbing his gun and extra ammo. Looking up into the night sky, she realized that this was going to suck navigating. Not only would she be dealing with men with guns, but civilian sailors as well. Who, most likely, had guns as well. But she took a deep breath and steeled herself.

Keeping tight against the wall, she slunk towards the shipping containers that housed human cargo. Someone was shining a search light on the deck, looking for anything abnormal. So she stayed in the shadows, moving slowly. Finding a spot under the catwalk that blocked her from the view of the searchlight. But needn't have worried about it. The bright light had zeroed in on a target. The light reflected off the side of the her target. Gwen's stomach dropped. They had Zoe. Bastards! They had found her. Her inner monologue moved from survival to protection. Zoe was her training agent and more importantly her friend. And like hell she was going to die. Not when she had a chance.

“So much for not engaging the enemy,” she muttered to herself before taking off from her hiding space. Turning the rain slick deck to her favor, Gwen slipped, sliding feet first into another guard. He turned, eyes wide, and fell hard on his side. Adrenaline making him forget his gun as they both struggled to their feet. He swung at her with his fists. Blocking his wild swings with her forearms. Attacking with a few well-aimed kicks to his ribs, Gwen forced him down to his knees. He wasn't trained for the prolonged, dirty fights that she had. So he went down easily. Curling her hand into a fist, she brought it down on his temple, knocking him out cold. Not bothering to check his lack of pulse, she continued on her way. Another guard came up on her before she got closer to her goal. This one taken down with the strap of his own AK-47 shoulder strap. It took a few precious moments to choke him, and she was afraid that these delays were costing her friend's life.

As she got closer, she could finally hear Zoe's voice above the storm. The older woman was arguing with the captain in Cantonese. Saying that she was the only one on the ship. Gwen froze up against the side of a forklift. Three men stood in the spotlight surrounding Zoe. Her dark hair plastered against her skull. Blood running out of a cut on the side of her head. A broken nose. Split and bloody lip. Zoe must have bitten something inside her mouth, because she was spitting out blood every few moments. The taller man still fired off questions at her. His hand never wavering. Gwen cataloged everything about the man.  Her training made it easy. A natural reaction. He was uncaring if the raging tempest ruined his expensively tailored suit. A handsome mask covering a cold face. It wouldn't take a spy to see that this man was a killer. There was no empathy in his eyes as he stared down the woman kneeling at his feet. This was a man who was on a first name basis with Death.

Gwen's hand moved to the gun she had stolen. The pommel ill-fitting her hand. The rain was not helping matters. The water blinding her, but she ready. Even if it killed her. The obvious leader of this organization cooly eyed  Zoe. The agent said something snarky back. The wind was whistling through the maze of container's making sure that Gwen couldn't make out what they said. What the fuck was Zoe doing? Even though she couldn't hear was Zoe was saying, Gwen knew she was antagonizing him on purpose. For God's sake, the woman was the one to tell her not to piss off the target during interrogations. Especially when he had the upper hand. Like now! He raised his gun, resting it against Zoe's temple.

“No!” Gwen sat up screaming. Her breath coming in heavy pants. Tears streaming down her face as she sobbed heavily. Bending her knees up against her chest, she automatically wrapped her arms around them. Placing her face against the curve of her knees, she fought to calm her wild heart. She was in Hawai'i. Safe. She wasn't back on that ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It took what felt like hours to get her breathing and mind back under control. She kept reminding herself that she was on solid ground. In a condo. That she was in  _paradise_. Away from the bits of blood and bone. Her stomach rioted and she fought for control again. Her breathing fell into the easy patterns that they taught her back in basic. Helped to keep the panic at bay.

Turning to face the sliding glass doors, she realized what had triggered  _that_ particular nightmare. Sometime during the night, a storm had landed on Hawai'i. Wind forced rainwater against the sliding glass door. The air whistling against the seals. She turned away from her trigger and looked at the alarm clock. 0337. They'd be awake in London. At least she could get some work done. Especially if she couldn't sleep.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

After an entire pot of coffee and several brisk phone conversations, Gwen started feeling normal again. Granted that was subjective. She was living a new normal these last few years. Sighing, she stretched out on the seaward facing balcony. Her thoughts going a mile a minute. She really needed to go over the files that sat on the loveseat next to her. But she couldn't just get her brain focused on the task at hand. Her dark eyes focused on the bright blue waters below her. The unexpected ringing of her satellite phone shattered the calm atmosphere. Gwen jumped.

“ _Go hifreann leat!” [](https://www.grammarcheck.net/editor/#sdfootnote1sym)_She grumbled to herself as she stood and headed for the satellite phone. Once she recognized the notes of the ringtone, a fond smile broke out on her face. “Can you become more of a cliché, Matthew? The  _Golden Girls_  theme? Seriously?” Moving further into the kitchen of her rented condo, she made a beeline for the coffee pot. One of the good things about being on this operation was the fringe benefits. True Kona coffee being the main one.

“You  _are_  the Dorothy to my Sophia.” She laughed despite her foul mood. Matthew's thick Boston accent was always a welcome sound. A reminder of home.

“Were you able to get the information off McGarrett's computer?”

“Ah.. always thinking about work. Not even distracted by those attractive men you're profiling.” He chuckled. “And don't deny it. I saw those surveillance photos.” She paused, pouring herself a cup of coffee. Idjit. She loved the man, but god he could be the most annoying person in the world. Worse than even her little brother.

“Somehow I think combining this op and sleeping with one of three highly suspicious police officers  _might_  be a problem.” She resumed her coffee pouring.

“I've seen the men you date, Gwen...” She could imagine him looking over his glasses to stare at her in disbelief. An eyebrow raised.

“Besides the point. Did you get past the protocols?” Grabbing her finished cup, she walked back to her balcony. Or was it considered a lanai at this point?

“Do you doubt my skills?” Matthew sounded so very insulted. “I have to give Mr. Kelly kudos for his security measures.”

“I'll pass along the message as soon as we find Kaye.” She sighed, plopping down once again in the loveseat. Cup in hand. “So, master of all things computers, what did you find out?”

“Our lovely Ms. Kaye stole some information from the CIA and dropped it right into the lap of your Commander. Hmm.”

“What...  _hmm_?”

“The elder McGarrett had some interesting habits. It looks like he was the one that stared the investigation of Governor Jameson and Shelburne.”

“Thats a new name. Not one of ours I take it?”

“No. It's not Interpol. CIA level maybe.” A few more key strokes. “Whatever or whomever Shelburne is… its a ghost. No information whatsoever.”

“What's its significance?” There was a noncommittal hum and the clack of keyboard.

“Looks like our mutual friend is looking for Shelburne as well.”

“Fan-bloody-tastic,” Shaking her head, she took a belt from the coffee mug. “Any other bad news you'd like to share with me?”

“The Bruins lost.”

“You are breaking my heart.” Matthew chuckled.

“In all seriousness… Kaye is here, but there isn't much information on her. No location. Nothing.”

“Did you try using Joshua's name?”

“That was the second thing I tried.”

“Damn. I can't think of any other name she would use. There's nothing?”

“Other than the hotel room she rented when she first landed. No, I can't find anything. I think she took to heart those stories you and Joshua used to tell.”

“Great… I could do without that today in all seriousness. You can access the traffic cameras around the building, yea?”

“Yep. I can run my facial recognition programs to catch her… Damn, why didn't I think of it first. Alright, I'll set up the programs… and piggy back on Five-O's cameras. Oh, this will be fun.”

“Try to actually sleep this time. I don't want to explain to the Director why you've been up for three days again.”

“I'll behave.” A door opened on the other end of the phone. “Speak of the devil. Got to go Gwen. The Director needs an update.” They said their goodbyes, both hanging up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go hifreann leat - To hell with you!


End file.
